Device for turning automobile-headlights.



T". E. .VAN DERWERKEN. DEVICE FOR TURNING AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26, 1913.

Patented Apr. 21 191 L 2 $HEETSSHEBT 1.

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T. E. 'VAN DERWBRKBN.

DEVICE FOR TURNING AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHTS.

' Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

2 sums-31mm a.

Arrnoumu rum) D160. 2a, 1913.

I 35 k, I

Momma STATES OFFICE. rnnononn ay IVAN nnnwnnnnn, -FiGREEN.'ISiLAND, NEW roan, nssrenon or A ONE-HALF T0 'WILLIAAM HENRY measure, or eannn rsnann nnw vonx.

DEVICE FOR TURNING AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Apr. 21, 1914,

Application filed December 26, 1913. Serial No. 808,811.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, Trmononn E. VAN DERWERKEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Green Island,.in the county of Albany and State of New York, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvefments inDevices for Turning Automobile- Headlights; and I do declare the following to bee full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such. a'swill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains .to

- make anduse the same.-

-This invention relates toimprovements in devices for turning the headlights of automobiles simultaneously with the turning of the front wheels thereof, and the main object is to provide a simply constructed device of this character, which will turn the right hand head light when turning to the right,

or the left hand head lightwhen turning to the left, it having. been found advantageous 'to'ait all times have one light facing directly ahead.

With the-above objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and combination herein described and claimed and shown in the drawings, wherein Y 1 Figure 1 is a plan View of the front end of an automobile showing the application of my invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar view, parts being in horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the frame of the car looking toward the front thereof,

and Bi s. 4 and 5 are detail vertical sections on the ines 4-4: and 5 5 of Fig. 1, respeotively.

* In the drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of my'invention with the parts attached to certain of' the parts of the frame and steering mechanism of the ordinary automobile but I wish it understood that my improved parts. may be applied to other parts of the automobile than those to which they are here shown applied, so long as'the 'same result is attained.

In the drawings I haveshown the parallel side bars S of an automobile frame, said bars turning downwardly at their front ends and connected to the springs S which are secured in the usual way to the front axle A. The opposite ends ofthe axle A are forked as at F, and journaled within said forked ends upon the usual bearing bolts B are sleeves s to which are secured the stub shafts 8', upon which thefront wheels "W are reolubly mounted.

1 denotes suitable brackets which while here shown as'applied to the side bars S and the radiator B, may be mounted on any suitable part of the machine. have bearing heads 2 on their outer ends.

These brackets The central portions of the heads 2 are bored w for-the reception of journal shafts 3 which carry upright arms l'securedin any suitable manner to the head lights L. The upper faces of the heads 2 are provided with front and rear stops 5 and 6 with which the arms 4 are adapted to contact in a manner to be described.

Rigidlysecured to the lower ends of the shafts 3 are rearwardly extending head light operating arms 7 to which are pivoted the mner ends of connectinglinks 8, the outer ends of said links beingpivotall'y connected I as at 9 with the rear ends of arms 10. The arms 10 are forked at their forward ends and straddle shouldersll on the inner sides of stop fingers 12. These-arms 10 are pivoted bybolts 13 as shown. The stop fingers 12 may be connected in any suitable manner to any part of the steering mecha nism which shifts" when the wheels are turned, that is, it may be connected to the connecting rod r, the. steering'arms' or, the sleeves s or the spindles B when the latter 7 turn with the movement of the wheels. illustrated however, the fingers 12 are'shown as formed integral with ribs 14 on the sleeves s. 1

In orderto hold the arms 10 normally in "contact with the stop fingers 1?, I provide coil springs 15 having their lower convolutions secured in the webs 14 while their up per convolutions extend laterally and are bent to form hooks 16, which are engaged with the inner sides of said arms 10.

When the machine is being propelled directly-forward, the arms 10 will be held'in contact with the stop fingers 12 by means of the coil springs 15 and, through the action. of the link 8 and the arms 7, the arms 14 will normally contact with the front and rear stops 5 and 6. If however, the steer-' ing mechanism is operated to turn the wheels W to the right, since the arm 7 at the left of the machine cannot turn outwardly on account of'the engagementof the arms 14 with the stops 5 and 6, the finger 12 will. move outwardly from. said arm 10. Upon this operation, the stop finger 12 at the right of the machine, will move inwardly, contact with thearm 10 at this side of the machine, and will, through the vfition of the connec tions between saidarm and the arm 14, move said last mentioned arms out of contact with the stops and 6 to turn the light L on this side of the machine. It will be understood that in turning to the left, the action of the above parts is merely reversed.

By the above described construction, I am enabled to maintain the rays from one of the head lights L directly in front of the machine at all times, while the other head light will be turned in the direction in which the machine is turning. This feature has been found after numerous experiments, to be very advantageous in the successful operation of devices of this character.

Although I have described my invention with considerable minuteness, I do not wlsh side of said stops, revolublymounted head side of said stops, supporting brackets, head i I a fixed front axle, stub axles lights, operating arms thereon, means for normally causing vsaid head lights to face forwardly and connections between said head light operating arms and the first mentioned arms for the purpose set forth.

' 2. The combination with a vehicle having ivoted thereto and means for turning sai stub axles in a substantially horizontal plane, of stops secured to said stubs, arms pivoted atone lights revolubly mounted on said brackets. co-acting stops on said head lights and said brackets, operating arms on said head lights, links connecting said head light operating arms and the first mentioned arms and means for normally holding the stops on said brackets and head lights in contact for the purpose set forth.

3 The combination with a vehicle having a fixed front axle, stub axles ivoted thereto and means for turning sai stub axles in a substantially horizontal plane, of laterally projecting stop fingers secured to said stubs, arms pivoted in the same plane therewith, springs normally holding said arms in contact with said stop fingers, brackets having front'and rear stops, hea lights revolubly mounted on said brackets and having stops co-acting withthe stops on said brackets, operating arms on said head lights and links connecting said head light operating arms and the first mentioned arms for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination with a steerin mech-.

anism, of a vehicle and independent y movable head lights on opposite sides of the vehicle, head light actuating arms, means for limiting the movement'of each of sai arms in one direction, stops movable with the movement of the steering mechanism, pivotally mounted spring actuated arms adapted to be engaged and actuated by said stops and connecting links uniting thetwo sets of arms on each side of the machine. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set Y my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

THEODORE EDDY VAN DERWERKEN.

Witnesses:

J. RALPH Hoen, J. A. GRmsBAunR.

copies of this patent inay be obtained for five .cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

7 v Washington, D. 0." a

supporting-- 

